This invention relates to cable retaining devices for routing and retaining cables and more particularly to cable retainers for constraining the movement of electronic cable along a selected routing path of an electronic assembly or module.
Conventional methods of retaining cables to an electronic assembly include bonded wire saddles, snap-in wire saddles, tie plates and cable ties. These cable retaining devices all suffer from one significant disadvantage, namely they involve small piece parts that can be difficult to properly install, especially where the electronic assembly is a relatively small assembly. Moreover, when disassembling the electronics assembly, some of the conventional cable retaining items can be somewhat difficult to remove without potentially damaging the retained cable. Further, the use of these cable retaining items translates into additional material and labor costs to the finished product and often require the use of special installation tools.
There are also several other related art cable retaining devices adapted for use with electronic assemblies including many unique configurations of cable retainers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,406,916 issued to Southerland and U.S. Pat. No. 4,192,965 issued to Baum disclose several cable retainers specially adapted for retaining flat ribbon cables using specially designed guide structures which minimize stress on the cable members.
Another related art cable retainer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,766 issued to Weber. The '766 patent discloses a snap fit cable retainer adapted for accommodating multiple diameter cables as well as several layers of cables. Large diameter cables are oriented in a first direction (i.e. lengthwise) through the retainer and smaller diameter cables are oriented in a crosswise orientation through the cable retainer. This related art cable retainer also accommodates a layer of cables in each direction simultaneously by placing the lower level in the crosswise direction through the retainer and the second layer on top in the lengthwise direction.
There are also numerous other cable retaining devices such as cable clamps, cable clips, cable guides and the like that are not practical for use with small electronic assemblies or modules and therefore, are not germane to the problems addressed by the present invention.
Thus, there is a continuing need for an improved cable retaining device adapted for use with electronic assemblies or modules that is simple in construction, relatively inexpensive and easy to use. In other words, cables must be easily retained and/or released from the cable retainer without much time and effort and without damage to the cable and cable retainer. Moreover, such cable retainers should preferably be fully integrated with the electronic assembly structure thus eliminating the problems associated with handling, installation, and replacement of small piece parts.